From Statelessness to Ecological Displacement: A Green Criminological Reading of the Rohingya Crisis

While the humanitarian aspects of the Rohingya crisis are well-documented, its environmental consequences remain critically underexplored. This study addresses that gap by applying green criminological theory to analyze how environmental victimization intersects with forced migration and structural violence, offering a novel framework to understand both human and non-human harm. Through a qualitative methodology grounded in extensive document and content analysis, this article investigates how both state and non-state actors contribute to ecological destruction, which further marginalizes displaced Rohingya populations and local host communities in Bangladesh. The analysis reveals a complex web of primary, secondary, and tertiary victimization, where environmental harm acts as both a tool of persecution in Myanmar and a consequence of inadequate refugee management in Bangladesh. The findings underscore the pressing need for an integrated policy approach that incorporates environmental justice into responses to humanitarian crises, thereby challenging prevailing anthropocentric paradigms. This approach emphasizes the interconnected rights of displaced people and ecosystems alike, advocating for ecological justice as a central and non-negotiable component of refugee and environmental policy reforms.